"Haldir!" The warrior lifted his head as he saw his brother Orophin approach him. "The Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel wish to speak with us. Come quickly!" Haldir followed his brother to a place where Rúmil, and the Lord and Lady were waiting.
"A small army of orcs approaches fair Lorien." the elven king spoke. "We must prevent them from entering Lorien's borders. Haldir," He turned to the warrior. "I want you and your brothers to help plan the attack. Your own knowledge of battle will prove useful." Haldir could feel the lady Galadriel's eyes looking into his mind, gauging his reaction. Indeed this was a great honour, but what of Rhyiel?
"I must ask, if I may," he started. Celeborn nodded for him to go on. "I was relieved of duty to act as an aid for the Lady Rhyiel. What of this now, my liege? Am I still to be her aid?"
"You will act as her aid, but for the time being, the young daughter of Elrond, and the Mirkwood prince I am sure will gladly take your place until you return." Galadriel spoke to him, her voice as clear as a bell. Haldir felt most unsettled by her words.
"Of course, Lady Galadriel. Your word is most wise."
"You may all go. Make ready to leave on the dawn."
"Yes my Lord."
* * * * * * * * * *
Rhyiel walked slowly through the towering trees of Caras Galadhon. Her face was drawn as she tried to assemble her thoughts coherently. She did not walk alone, for Arwen and Legolas were with her, but she felt as if she were the only one left in a land filled with evil. Her two companions wore identical expressions of worry. It had been at least seven days since Haldir left for the Lorien border. She could no longer deny that she missed him terribly. She slept surprisingly little after he left, and she ate even less. He had come to supper with her as she had requested of him, that last night before he left, and told her of the army of orcs amassing near Lorien. She had been disappointed that he had to leave, but she knew that they would need his cunning and skill to plan and attack. That last meal had been a solemn one, and neither Rhyiel nor Haldir had much to say after his news of the orc army.
"The lady Galadriel tells me that the lady Arwen and Legolas should take my place as your aid…" he had said to her.
"Of course. Galadriel is most wise. Do you think that you will be gone long?"
"I hope that we do not tarry at the battle scene, my lady, for I would surely miss your sweet face." The rest of their meal had been eaten in silence. When their meal was finished, Haldir left her, stopping only to bid her good night, and to draw his hand gently across her cheek.
"Good night, my lady… Farewell, melamin…"
"Rhyiel?" Arwen clasped her hand tightly as they walked. Rhyiel's eyes flitted over to her friend for a brief moment, then went back to staring ahead. "Would you like to go to Galadriel to see if she has news of the battle?" She shook her head. She did not wish to hear anything from the battle, for she did not know how she would cope if Haldir had been killed in battle. She had been so convinced that she hated him, and truly he was detestable at times, but his absence was wrecking her. She realised that she loved him, although she would not readily admit this to anyone, even herself. She had been caught like a fly in his web, for he was a hunter, the hunter, and she had always felt that she was the hunted.
And now he had caught her. Damn him.
"Lady Arwen! Prince Legolas, Lady Rhyiel!" A young and vibrant looking elf came swiftly to them and bowed graciously. Weariness showed in his eyes, and it was clear to the three that he had come from the battle. "The lady Galadriel wishes to speak with the lady Rhyiel." Slowly the three followed the weary elf, although he left them once they neared Galadriel's mirrored pool.
"Shall we accompany you to the lady's presence?" Legolas murmured to her, "Or shall we wait for you here?"
"Come with me. I have weakened again, and I need aid."
As she drew face to face with the elven Queen, suddenly she was alone. Legolas and Arwen both left her side silently, although she heard Arwen whisper to her as she left, I am sorry Rhyiel, I have to leave you…
"Lady Rhyiel, I have received news of the battle."
"I do not want to hear it, Galadriel."
"You need to know." Galadriel's eyes clouded with concern. "The battle goes well, although unfortunately, our numbers have been split into two groups, and our finest captain has disappeared. We fear that he is dead," Rhyiel's breath caught in her throat, and her face blanched to a colour paler than anyone would have thought possible. "but we cannot give up hope.
"Keep heart, lady Rhyiel. He will return. I do not think that he would abandon his assigned duty of acting as your aid before his duty was done. He is loyal in that."
"Loyal enough that he would come back from the grave, should he die?"
"Yes. But I do not think that he could come back, although I do not think that he will perish." Galadriel's eyes pierced her mind, but her familiar voice did not resonate there.
"Do not ask me this question, Galadriel," she found herself saying. The elven queen's query was obvious. "for I believe that you know my answer, and I would not tell you, should you ask and did not know already."
"Then it is true, my lady. You love him." Galadriel's words sounded strange to her, and she rolled them around in her mind.
"Yes." she replied sorrowfully. "And I fear that he will die with my name on his lips. If not now, then after I am gone."
"The future is so unclear…"
"This much of the future is clear to me. He will die in a chaos-filled world, looking upon the broken bodies of his fallen brethren. Shadows will ensnare the land, and evil will walk abroad." Rhyiel shook her head with sadness and glanced at the ring of knowledge on her left forefinger. She slipped the ring off her hand and enclosed it in the hand of the elven queen. "A gift and a curse…" Rhyiel intoned softly. "Do not argue, for it has always been yours. You know this. I have merely been its… keeper for an age. Your age has come once again Galadriel. Perhaps it is time for me to give up this solitude…" Unfathomable eyes gazed at Rhyiel from Galadriel's countenance. "Now call for Arwen. I need aid, or else I will surely will faint with exhaustion and grief."
* * * * * * * * * *
"A small army of orcs approaches fair Lorien." the elven king spoke. "We must prevent them from entering Lorien's borders. Haldir," He turned to the warrior. "I want you and your brothers to help plan the attack. Your own knowledge of battle will prove useful." Haldir could feel the lady Galadriel's eyes looking into his mind, gauging his reaction. Indeed this was a great honour, but what of Rhyiel?
"I must ask, if I may," he started. Celeborn nodded for him to go on. "I was relieved of duty to act as an aid for the Lady Rhyiel. What of this now, my liege? Am I still to be her aid?"
"You will act as her aid, but for the time being, the young daughter of Elrond, and the Mirkwood prince I am sure will gladly take your place until you return." Galadriel spoke to him, her voice as clear as a bell. Haldir felt most unsettled by her words.
"Of course, Lady Galadriel. Your word is most wise."
"You may all go. Make ready to leave on the dawn."
"Yes my Lord."
* * * * * * * * * *
Rhyiel walked slowly through the towering trees of Caras Galadhon. Her face was drawn as she tried to assemble her thoughts coherently. She did not walk alone, for Arwen and Legolas were with her, but she felt as if she were the only one left in a land filled with evil. Her two companions wore identical expressions of worry. It had been at least seven days since Haldir left for the Lorien border. She could no longer deny that she missed him terribly. She slept surprisingly little after he left, and she ate even less. He had come to supper with her as she had requested of him, that last night before he left, and told her of the army of orcs amassing near Lorien. She had been disappointed that he had to leave, but she knew that they would need his cunning and skill to plan and attack. That last meal had been a solemn one, and neither Rhyiel nor Haldir had much to say after his news of the orc army.
"The lady Galadriel tells me that the lady Arwen and Legolas should take my place as your aid…" he had said to her.
"Of course. Galadriel is most wise. Do you think that you will be gone long?"
"I hope that we do not tarry at the battle scene, my lady, for I would surely miss your sweet face." The rest of their meal had been eaten in silence. When their meal was finished, Haldir left her, stopping only to bid her good night, and to draw his hand gently across her cheek.
"Good night, my lady… Farewell, melamin…"
"Rhyiel?" Arwen clasped her hand tightly as they walked. Rhyiel's eyes flitted over to her friend for a brief moment, then went back to staring ahead. "Would you like to go to Galadriel to see if she has news of the battle?" She shook her head. She did not wish to hear anything from the battle, for she did not know how she would cope if Haldir had been killed in battle. She had been so convinced that she hated him, and truly he was detestable at times, but his absence was wrecking her. She realised that she loved him, although she would not readily admit this to anyone, even herself. She had been caught like a fly in his web, for he was a hunter, the hunter, and she had always felt that she was the hunted.
And now he had caught her. Damn him.
"Lady Arwen! Prince Legolas, Lady Rhyiel!" A young and vibrant looking elf came swiftly to them and bowed graciously. Weariness showed in his eyes, and it was clear to the three that he had come from the battle. "The lady Galadriel wishes to speak with the lady Rhyiel." Slowly the three followed the weary elf, although he left them once they neared Galadriel's mirrored pool.
"Shall we accompany you to the lady's presence?" Legolas murmured to her, "Or shall we wait for you here?"
"Come with me. I have weakened again, and I need aid."
As she drew face to face with the elven Queen, suddenly she was alone. Legolas and Arwen both left her side silently, although she heard Arwen whisper to her as she left, I am sorry Rhyiel, I have to leave you…
"Lady Rhyiel, I have received news of the battle."
"I do not want to hear it, Galadriel."
"You need to know." Galadriel's eyes clouded with concern. "The battle goes well, although unfortunately, our numbers have been split into two groups, and our finest captain has disappeared. We fear that he is dead," Rhyiel's breath caught in her throat, and her face blanched to a colour paler than anyone would have thought possible. "but we cannot give up hope.
"Keep heart, lady Rhyiel. He will return. I do not think that he would abandon his assigned duty of acting as your aid before his duty was done. He is loyal in that."
"Loyal enough that he would come back from the grave, should he die?"
"Yes. But I do not think that he could come back, although I do not think that he will perish." Galadriel's eyes pierced her mind, but her familiar voice did not resonate there.
"Do not ask me this question, Galadriel," she found herself saying. The elven queen's query was obvious. "for I believe that you know my answer, and I would not tell you, should you ask and did not know already."
"Then it is true, my lady. You love him." Galadriel's words sounded strange to her, and she rolled them around in her mind.
"Yes." she replied sorrowfully. "And I fear that he will die with my name on his lips. If not now, then after I am gone."
"The future is so unclear…"
"This much of the future is clear to me. He will die in a chaos-filled world, looking upon the broken bodies of his fallen brethren. Shadows will ensnare the land, and evil will walk abroad." Rhyiel shook her head with sadness and glanced at the ring of knowledge on her left forefinger. She slipped the ring off her hand and enclosed it in the hand of the elven queen. "A gift and a curse…" Rhyiel intoned softly. "Do not argue, for it has always been yours. You know this. I have merely been its… keeper for an age. Your age has come once again Galadriel. Perhaps it is time for me to give up this solitude…" Unfathomable eyes gazed at Rhyiel from Galadriel's countenance. "Now call for Arwen. I need aid, or else I will surely will faint with exhaustion and grief."
* * * * * * * * * *
